The First Mission Back
by JacksBlade
Summary: Seeing how bored his brats looked, Makarov decided to give them a special mission he had in store. But as we all know, things are always easier said than done.


**This story begins the day after the core Fairy Tail members came home from Tenrou Island.**

**Pairing: NatsuxMirajane**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

The morning after returning to the guild...

"I'm sooo bored!" cried Natsu. The fire mage was sitting at his team's usual table with the upper half of his body laying on the wooden surface.

"Can it flame breath. We're all tired of hearing your whining." stated an annoyed Gray, leaning his elbow on the table to prop his chin on top of his hand.

"Come on guys, it wasn't that bad right?" said Lucy, trying to cheer up her comrades.

Her attempt was shattered into a million pieces when the redhead sitting in front of her spoke. "Lucy. We have been sitting around all day because there isn't a single mission on the request board today. It's that bad."

"I'm sooo bored..!" whined Natsu for the umpteenth time.

"That's it, I've had enough of your mouth for one day squinty eyes!" Finally snapping from being irritated by the idiot across from him, Gray lunged over the table and tackled Natsu to the ground.

"Bring it droopy eyes! Now I'm all fired up!" shouted Natsu, punching the ice wizard in the gut and throwing him at another table that was seating the Strauss siblings.

"Natsu! How unmanly of you to attack from behind!" roared a ticked off Elfman who also jumped into the fight.

As the other guild members saw an oppportunity to end their boredom, they too began to throw out all sorts of insults and challenges at one another to engage in combat.

"Wakaba, I know you were the one who just flicked my ear!"

"No I didn't you old fool!"

"Don't you guys think Gajeel kind of looks like a porcupine?"

"The hell did you say!?"

"Um, Erza? Aren't you going to stop this?" asked Lucy, pointing at the ensuing battle.

"Normally I would, but this is a special occasion." replied Erza with a competitive glint in her eyes and brandishing her sword.

Just as the scarlet knight was about to rush into the fray, the sixth master's voice echoed throughout the guild. "**Stop fighting you brats!**"

Everyone immediately froze and turned to stare at the giant that was Makarov Dreyar. Natsu and Gray stopped punching each other, Gajeel stood there with Warren and Max in a headlock, and Elfman was holding Nab above his head.

Shrinking back to his original form and taking his spot on the counter, the master smirked. "If you brats want something to do, how about I give you each a personal mission?"

Hearing his proposal, half of the members cheered and gathered in front of their wise leader while the rest opted to stay behind to run errands or finish a chore.

"I'd like to go, but manning the bar is more important." smiled Mirajane.

"No, you go this time Mira-nee. I'll cover your shift today." offered Lisanna.

"It's no problem Lisanna, I can handle it so you go ahead."

But the youngest Strauss sibling wouldn't have it. "No, you always work hard for everyone. Enjoy yourself this one night and have fun."

Giggling at her sister's persistence, Mira gave in. "Alright, the stove needs some scrubbing, the fridge has to be emptied out for cleaning, and don't forget to buy fresh ingredients in the morning. You don't have to make everything spotless though, I can finish up when I return."

"O-Okay, got it Mira-nee." stammered Lisanna.

"Good. I have this all planned out." whispered the master with a light chuckle. He then counted the ones who were up for the plan. _'Nine. Just the perfect amount.' _Makarov turned to face the iron dragon slayer who was now leaning against one of the wooden beams, "you'll join in too Gajeel?"

"Huh? Fine, whatever." muttered Gajeel.

"Now here's how it will work, I have a mystical item with me that will pair you up between yourselves to who you are most compatible with to complete your quest. It will then give you your mission and direct you to where you should both go."

"Juvia wants to go with Gray-sama!" announced the water mage, instantly appearing next to him and holding onto his arm with hearts in her eyes.

"That's not how it works!" cried Gray.

Pulling out a brown paper bag from behind his back, Makarov gave everyone a thumbs up. "Who wants to go first?"

"That's the mystical item!?" shouted the shocked group of youngsters with their mouths open.

"Very well, I shall draw first." stated Erza, who was the first to recover. Placing her hand inside the bag, she felt only a few scraps of paper. Grabbing one out of the bag, she unfolded it to find that it was blank. "Master? What's the meaning of-" before she could finish, some golden writing revealed itself on the piece of parchment. Looks of awe came from those near enough to see it.

_Erza Scarlet,_

_Partner: Wendy Marvel_

_Mission: Find a large Roarki, skin it, and bring back its hide._

_Location: The grasslands behind Fairy Hills_

_Description: Brown fur, sharp claws. Roarkies are usually twice the height of the average man._

After rereading the information to be certain, the Titania handed the note to Wendy. "It looks like we'll be the first pair Wendy."

Beaming up at her role model, Wendy gave her a bright smile. "That's great Erza-san, I'll try my best!"

Seeing Erza already finding who her partner was, Natsu excitedly ran up to Makarov and drew his mission. Quickly pulling it from inside the bag, he read it out loud.

_Natsu Dragneel,_

_Partner: Mirajane Strauss_

_Mission: Retrieve one bottle of Flax Potion._

_Location: Master Bob's mansion_

_Description: A star-shaped glass bottle with a black cork. _

After reading where he was supposed to go, Natsu tensed up and turned a ghostly white.

"Our pairing is great!" squealed Mira, not noticing her partner's petrified state.

Being one of the very rare times he ever felt sorry for his rival, Gray put his hand on Natsu's shoulder. "Be safe buddy." Getting a shiver down his spine just remembering the the first time he visited Master Bob's house, Gray stepped forward to get his mission and distract his mind.

_Gray Fullbuster,_

_Partner: Elfman Strauss_

_Mission: Carefully obtain five blooming Phoenix Blossoms._

_Location: The cliffs of Mt. Hakobe_

_Description: Blossoms are deep red in color, have yellow stamens, and grow in patches of snow._

"Looks like we're the third team Elfman." smirked Gray.

After reading the mission, Elfman hollered, "Mt. Hakobe is a man's turf!"

"That paper picked the wrong partner for Gray-sama..." sulked Juvia.

Taking her turn to pick, Lucy reeled out the second to last strip and opened it.

_Lucy Heartfilia,_

_Partner: Juvia Loxar_

_Mission: Return with four thin but sturdy Lazarus Vines, each two meters in length._

_Location: Underwater near Hargeon Port, usually grows alongside regular seaweed._

_Description: Wavy, golden seaweed that flow with the direction of the tide._

"This is perfect! Juvia has a definite advantage in water so this mission should be a cinch." commented Lucy. Handing her partner the information, Lucy got very nervous hearing what she said.

"Juvia and Lucy as teammates? I must prove to fate that Gray-sama and Juvia belong together by defeating Lucy and bringing back the vines first!" cried Juvia.

"Wait a sec master, that means I'm stuck with bookworm here?" questioned Gajeel, hiking a thumb at Levy.

"Hmph, how rude of you Gajeel!" pouted Levy, pushing the iron dragon slayer out of the way and grabbing the last mission.

_Levy McGarden,_

_Partner: Gajeel Redfox_

_Mission: Gather a bagful of five inch Tendril spikes._

_Location: The forest east of Magnolia_

_Description: The spikes are diamond like in shape with a golden trim. They come from Tendrils that are a reptilian species which grow to about the length of a longsword._

Snatching the piece of paper away from Levy when she seemingly finished it, Gajeel let out a snort after skimming it. "That's it? Beating these animals and taking their spikes won't even be considered a warm up."

Slapping Gajeel's arm, Levy glared at him. "There are other ways of getting the spikes without hurting the Tendrils."

While everyone seemed to be discussing their missions, Natsu finally snapped out of his shock. Grabbing Mira's hand and dragging her out the guild and down the dirt path, he turned around and gave her a huge grin. "Even if we have to visit Master Bob, let's have some fun on this mission Mira!"

"That sounds like a plan Natsu." replied Mira with a delighted look on her face.

* * *

After three hours of riding the train and then traveling in a carriage to get to Master Bob's house, Mira stood outside the enormous mansion with Natsu lying on the ground next to her. "Why did I have to pick the mission that was the farthest away..." muttered the exhausted dragon slayer.

"Natsu, are you sure your okay?" asked a worried Mira.

"Yeah.. I just.. need a little... break." panted Natsu, trying to stand up. It was a good thing Mira had let him lay his head on her lap during the trip, otherwise he'd probably look worse and feel twice as nauseous.

"Here Natsu, let me help you." offered Mira, crouching down and putting the Salamander's left arm over her shoulders to pull him up.

"Thanks Mira." replied Natsu, flashing his bright smile at her.

Mira only giggled as she half carried him to stand in front of the huge double doors. She reached out and knocked three times on the entranceway.

"Coming!" answered a shrill voice from inside a few seconds later. Knowing who it would be to greet them, Natsu shuddered a little.

"Are you sure you're fine Natsu?" prodded Mira.

"O-Of course, let's just g-get this over with." was his reply.

As one of the doors opened slightly, a bald man wearing a purple spaghetti strap top, striped trousers and make-up peeked outside to see his visitors. "Oh my Mira! Is that you? You look absolutely gorgeous darling!" cooed Master Bob. Turning his attention to her companion, the guild master of Blue Pegasus let out a girly shriek. "Natsu Dragneel!? How you've grown honey! Both of you, please come in!" said Bob, widening the door and holding out his hand for them.

Accepting his invitation and showing him her genuine smile, Mira walked inside with Natsu trying to hide his face behind her back.

"Please make yourselves at home." stated Bob.

"Thank you Master Bob, but Natsu and I are here on a mission. We came here to find something called Flax potion." said Mira, getting right to the point.

"Flax potion you say? Why I can't believe that Makarov would do this to his own children." he then turned to the side with a small blush and held his face. "Anyway.. it's just that my basement where I keep all my potions is still in quite a mess right now."

"That's fine, we can just look for it ourselves." insisted Mira, her smile never leaving her face even though she was curious as to what the man in front of her meant.

"If you believe so deary. Just go past this hallway and take a left. It will be the third door down with all the pink hearts on it." said Bob, pointing at the path for them to take.

"Thank you very much Master Bob, we'll find it and be on our way before you know it." declared Mira.

"Nonsense, take your time sweetie. If you need any help just give me a holler!" and with that the strange guild master gave them both a wink and gracefully jumped up a flight of stairs, disappearing behind one of the many doors in his home.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Natsu perked up. "Come on Mira, let's find the potion and finish this job. Gramps didn't give us much of a challenge here."

"Okay, follow me Natsu." answered the former demon with a giggle. Making their way down the corridor Master Bob had instructed they take, Natsu sweat dropped seeing that every door they passed was covered in pink hearts. So, he quickly got confused with his directions. Luckily Mira was there to guide him.

Opening the specified door that they were to enter, Mira saw a short flight of steps leading down to rows of wooden shelves that were tightly packed together and filled with all sorts of magical concoctions, leaving barely enough space to move around. Making their way towards the shelves to begin looking, Natsu and Mira began snaking their bodies past all sorts of potions on the shelves.

Sticking his face close to a greenish fluid inside a triangular jar, Natsu reached over to grab for it but accidentally knocked it over and nervously watched it fall in front of Mirajane. "Crap, sorry Mira."

"Natsu, you need to be more careful." scolded Mira. Upon seeing the floor begin to disintegrate from being in contact with the unknown substance, she added, "please, be careful."

Stepping over the hole in the ground, Mira returned to inspecting the various bottles until she stopped, seeing the one they were looking for on the very top of one of the shelves. "Natsu, there it is! Flax potion!" cried Mira, pointing excitedly at the bottle.

"Really? I got it." stated Natsu, wanting to get the mission over with. As his hand wrapped around the neck of the bottle, the fire breather almost slipped but managed to catch himself by holding onto the shelf. Pulling the bottle down to show Mira, he smiled triumphantly at her. That is, until another bottle fell and crashed into the floor. The pink liquid that spilled out of it released some kind of weird fume, making them both cover their noses.

"Sorry again Mira, are you hurt?" asked Natsu.

Before she could respond though, an overwhelming craving for Natsu's lips erupted in her mind. "I'm just fine.." she then grabbed Natsu by his scarf and pressed her lips against his.

Quickly pulling away, Natsu was about to ask her why she was acting like this until the same intense craving flooded his brain. "Get back here." he said, wrapping his arms around her body and kissing her.

Placing her arms behind his neck, Mira couldn't understand why she was suddenly so attracted to Natsu, but the warm feeling inside of her felt so good when they kissed that she just melted into his embrace. "Oh Natsu, kiss me again.."

"Gladly," replied Natsu, wondering how he had become so attached to Mira in such a short amount of time. As they both continued kissing each other in Master Bob's basement, they couldn't help but wonder how the others were doing.

* * *

Levy and Gajeel...

"Stay still dammit!" yelled Gajeel. He and Levy were currently somewhere in East Forest trying to catch the Tendrils that were running away from them.

"Don't just keep chasing them Gajeel! We need a plan first! " cried Levy.

But being the hard-headed mage that he was, Gajeel kept trying to grab the annoying little reptiles that always managed to evade capture. "Who needs a plan when those things are right in front of us?" retorted the iron dragon slayer. He then leapt toward another Tendril who was hiding at the base of a large tree. The Tendril instantly shot out all it's spikes at Gajeel and scurried away in a frenzy.

Catching up to her partner who was now frozen in place with a weird pose, Levy glared at him and placed her hands on her hips. "I told you we needed a plan. I remember reading somewhere that Tendrils use their spikes to defend themselves when they sense danger. The spikes also have a neurotoxin that causes paralysis." Her mood then quickly changed to one of amusement as she tried to stifle a laugh, "but at least you got some of the spikes."

The only remark she got from him was an annoyed grumbling.

* * *

Erza and Wendy...

Staring down a frightened Roarki that she managed to corner under a high cliff, Erza raised her sword high into the air and was about to silence the creature until it did something that caught her completely off guard. Even when the animal was twice as tall as her with short brown fur covering it's entire body, the puppy dog face that it was giving her made the girl inside of her squeal with delight. She stood there just staring at the Roarki, trying to will herself to kill it while it looked back at her with those innocent, pleading eyes.

"Erza-san, wait!" shouted Wendy who had finally caught up and was running to the petrified knight. Looking ahead to see the adorable face the Roarki was making, Wendy couldn't help but let out a long "awww."

_'Come on Erza, you need to complete your mission for the master!'_ but no matter how hard she tried to convince her mind, she just couldn't bring herself to harm such an adorable animal. Slowly bringing the trembling hand holding her sword down to her side, Erza lowered her head and pointed to the grasslands behind her. Seemingly understanding her gesture, the Roarki carefully made it's way closer to the knight. Moving it's head up and licking her gauntlet, the Roarki turned and ran back to it's home. Smiling at her kindness towards the creature, Erza quickly replaced it with a frown. "I've failed my mission..."

Standing next to the sullen knight, Wendy spoke, "Erza-san, I was trying to tell you before but, we passed a little cabin that said 'Everything Roarki For Sale' a while ago."

Shocked at not thoroughly examining her surroundings, Erza kneeled in front of Wendy. "I'm sorry for missing such a crucial building Wendy. Please, hit me."

"That's okay Erza-san, let's just make our way back to the cabin to buy the hide." answered Wendy while nervously waving her hands in front of her.

* * *

Juvia and Lucy...

Swimming parallel to the seafloor, Lucy came to a halt when she spotted something glistening up ahead. Signaling to Juvia the direction where they should go, they swam a few more meters until a low underwater trench stopped them. Inside the little valley was like a farm of natural kelp. Gazing over the field of seaweed in front of them, the two girls were amazed at how majestic the whole scene looked. The entire underwater greenery seemed to be gracefully dancing with the flow of the ocean.

"Over there Juvia!" cried Lucy from inside the makeshift bubble the water mage had made for her to breathe through.

Juvia nodded at her partner when she spotted the single strand of golden seaweed that was almost hidden within the lush kelp forest.

As both girls made their way closer, it was Lucy who reached out to grab the prize. "Looks like this was a lot easier than expected."

But before her hand could even touch it, the seaweed spurted out a greenish liquid that made Lucy yelp in shock. Quickly after, it shrunk down into the ground leaving the Fairy Tail mages in shock.

"There it is!" shouted Juvia, pointing at another one across from them and charging straight at it. "Juvia will finish this mission for Gray-sama!"

"I found one!" cheered Lucy, swimming to the left and swiping at the golden vegetation. But like before, the water plant merely squirted out a mysterious fluid then sucked itself completely into the ground to avoid capture.

"Looks like I spoke too soon." whined the celestial mage.

* * *

Gray and Elfman...

Just then, Gray managed to finally reach the top of the ledge and began to pull himself up. After he waited for Elfman and helped him over the side, the two set off again until Elfman suddenly cried out, "Up there!"

Staring in the direction of where Elfman was pointing, Gray let out a triumphant laugh. "We found the Blossoms! Let's go get them before something happens."

But before they even took another step, a pack of half a dozen Vulcans fell down from the cliff above and surrounded the two. One of the Vulcans frowned when it saw them, "awww, these not girls. Guess we eat them."

Getting in his fighting stance, Gray readied himself for a battle. "Looks like we get to have some fun too. **Ice Make:**"

That is until Elfman cut him off with a great manly howl. "RRRROOOOOUUUUHHHHH! Bring it Vulcans!"

A distant rumbling then echoed over the surrounding area. Knowing what was about to ensue, the Vulcans all scrambled out of sight while Gray prepared to switch his attack.

"...**Surfboard**!" shouted Gray, finishing his previous sentence and jumping off the cliff with his ice creation. Elfman was about to ask what was wrong with him for jumping down but a tidal wave of snow engulfed him and pushed him off the cliff as well.

Catching up with Gray and seeing his friend having fun riding the snow, Elfman yelled out, "Help a man out Gray!"

Turning to him with a irked expression, Gray replied with three words. "It's your fault."

* * *

Back to Natsu and Mira...

Sliding his hand slowly and steadily up then back down her body, Natsu crashed his lips upon Mira's once again.

"Oh Natsu... more.." moaned Mira, holding his face tenderly while she was leaning against his body.

"Mmmm, Mira... I can't stop.." whispered Natsu, placing his hand on the small of her back and pulling her closer into their embrace.

"Me neither.. so just keep going..." the white haired beauty managed to reply. Squirming out of his grasp, Mira slipped her hands under his vest and began feeling every inch of his toned muscles.

Moving his lips to the crook of her neck, Natsu gently kissed around it, all the while leaving a few tiny marks. Arriving at Mira's shoulder, the fire breather used his teeth to bite her dress strap and yanked it down, eliciting a squeal from the former demon.

Before he could go any lower though, the owner of the house turned the corner and found them. "Oh my! It seems I've interrupted a private moment!" cried the appalled guild master. But then a very creepy glint appeared in his eye as he added, "can I join..?"

Without another word, Natsu had picked up Mira bridal style and zoomed out of the premisis, leaving Master Bob there with only an evanescent cloud of smoke in the shape of the two mage's bodies behind.

* * *

Kissing the lovely Mirajane for who knows how many times that day, Natsu felt like he would never tire of tasting her soft, supple lips. The lucky dragon slayer was currently riding one stolen horse from Master Bob's stable with Mira sitting in front of him. If one didn't know better they would think that the two were rehearsing a fairy tale story while traveling through the bustling streets of Magnolia on their majestic white horse.

Arriving in front of the guild, Natsu and Mira both looked up to see their home before returning to their kissing session.

"Oi! What the hell are you doing Salamander!?" shouted a very familiar iron dragon slayer.

"Mira what's going on?" questioned a shocked Levy. It seemed like Gajeel and Levy were successful in their mission too since they were both carrying bags full of whatever they needed. Their attires however were another story. Levy looked perfectly fine while Gajeel's clothes were shredded and in tatters.

Seeing it was only their approaching comrades, the two resumed their lip lock. "Kissing potion." was their only reply.

"Che, what a lie!" yelled an annoyed Gajeel. _'Dammit! I should have done something like this with the shrimp while we were alone!'_

"I see charcoal breath got some action during his run." commented Gray who casually walked past the embracing couple's horse in his boxers.

"N-N-Natsu! G-Get off m-my s-s-sister! ..Achoo!" stuttered Elfman who was trying to look angry while rubbing his own arms to keep himself warm.

"Gray-sama! Juvia is back and has completed her mission!" cooed the overjoyed water mage, seemingly popping out of nowhere and hugging him from behind.

"Ahhhh! Your green!" yelled Gray as his eyes bugged out of their sockets in disbelief.

"Don't remind me.." mumbled Lucy in a depressed state while walking to her teammates.

"Cute Roarkie. Yes, very cute. I'm going to train you to be strong like me, okay Roarkie?"

Turning their heads to see who it was, everyone dropped their jaws when they realized that it was Erza.. Erza of all people, holding a small furry plush in her arms and cuddling it like a little girl.

"H-Hi guys, I'm glad everyone made it back safely." smiled Wendy, sweat dropping at the state that the team was in.

"Welcome home you brats! Did you all finish the-" but the fourth master couldn't continue. Standing at the foot of the Fairy Tail guild, Makarov couldn't believe his eyes with what he saw in front of him. Natsu and Mira were constantly kissing, Lucy and Juvia were green, Gajeel looked like he'd seen better days, Elfman was shaking like a rattle, Gray was in his boxers.. well not really a surprise, and Erza making silly faces at a stuffed animal. The only ones that looked normal were Levy and Wendy. Were these really the kids he sent out for his personal mission?

Noticing everyone stop what they were doing and staring expectantly at him, Makarov quickly shook off his initial shock and placed his hands behind his back, taking a moment to regain his thoughts. "So I'm hoping all of you finished your individual missions?"

"Yes we did." was the unanimous reply while everyone placed their items in front of the master.

"Great! I knew I could count on you brats!" cheered Makarov.

"Um master, what did you need all these things for in the first place?" asked Wendy.

"Alright. If you guys really want to know, I'm going to create a priceless item.." whispered the short guild master. Everyone leaned in closer to hear their master's words. "The Lazarus vines, flexible like rubber, yet as resilient as steel.. Flax potion, having the ability to strengthen any item to make it unbreakable.. Tendril spikes, one of the most exotic types of scales on the market.. the hide of a Roarkie, the toughest and most durable of any animal.. and Phoenix Blossoms, a rare flower that has enchanting magical properties.. all combined to make... an Abrinthian rug!"

Everyone fell head over heels after hearing that what they had to go through just for the ingredients was to make a rug.

"B-But why?" uttered a bewildered Lucy.

"Oh, I lost a poker game to Goldmine that we guild masters have every month." answered Makarov with a cheeky smile.

"Master.." mumbled the group of mages, each with a dark aura coming from them. Getting a little chill, Makarov frantically ran back inside the guild with everyone hot on his heels. Only two people in the group remained behind.

"So when are we going to tell them the effects wore off an hour ago?" asked Natsu.

"Eventually." smirked Mira, showing Natsu a mischievous smile before grabbing his scarf and planting her lips firmly against his.

* * *

**And that's all ladies and gentlemen! How did I do on this oneshot? If you see any mistakes or I lost you anywhere in the story, please feel free to address the problem. I realize that this story may also be a little out of character, but I tried. So, how can I improve to add even better stories in the future?**


End file.
